Culture & Education | Friday 10 August, 2018 5:12 am |

During Sharjah’s participation at the 25thSão Paulo International Book Fair, the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) has visited the University of São Paulo’s headquarters to explore avenues of academic and cultural cooperation with Brazil. 

 

Antonio Carlos Hernandes, university’s Vice President welcomed HE Ahmed Al Ameri, Chairman of SBA, and HE Ibrahim Alawi, UAE Consul-General in São Paulo, where the Vice President offered a detailed insight into the history of one of the most important academic institutions in Brazil and Latin America, since its inception in 1934. The university specialises in several disciplines including the sciences and literature, engineering and arts, and has over 130,000 students enrolled into its numerous campuses and schools.

 

Al Ameri presented the university two prominent works by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, titledSard Al That(My Early Life), and Hadeeth Al Thakira(The Consolidation Years 1979-1987), and works of 40 Emirati authors, which were translated for the first time into Portuguese to celebrate Sharjah’s participation at the São Paulo International Book Fair’s first-ever guest of honour. 

 

Al Ameri and Hernandes had a detailed discussion about how the cultures of the two countries can be exchanged through their respective libraries, starting with the library at University of São Paulo. Hernandes underscored that the university looks forward to exploring the UAE’s expertise in leading Arab literary and cultural exchange, and in doing so, strengthen Brazil’s relations by boosting the inflow of Emirati and Arab books onto their country.

 

For his part, Al Ameri said that Sharjah’s and SBA’s efforts in Brazil and around the world, aim to fulfil the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah in cultural and academic fields. He stressed the emirate’s global achievements, like the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF), and the establishment of Sharjah Publishing City (SPC) – the world’s first free zone dedicated to promoting the global publishing industry, as well as quality academic institutions in the emirate, all reflect this vision.

 

Al Ameri said: “Our visit to the largest, oldest and most prestigious university in São Paulo aligns with SBA’s efforts to bring Emirati and Arabic publications to the world, as well as our dedication to strengthening channels of expertise sharing with educational and cultural entities in Brazil.

 

“Translating some of the works by His Highness The Ruler of Sharjah and 40 Emirati and Arab authors from Arabic into Portuguese is a firm step in the direction to reinforce bilateral cultural relations with Brazil. We are pleased to share with Brazil and the Latin world the life’s story and experiences of one of the most prominent leaders and leading intellectual figures of our times. Additionally the collection also features poetry, novels and research by Emirati and Arabic writers. All this aligns with Sharjah’s vision and SBA’s cultural objectives.”

 

For his part Antonio Carlos praised the University City in Sharjah for being a leading academic institution in the Arab region. He said: “The São Paulo University has been working more and more on its internationalisation process, which means the university will be in scientific cooperation with people from around the world. This visit is extremely important because it is part of that process. Also, it is a great honour for us to receive these books, which has signalled an affectionate start to our cooperation process with academic and cultural institutions in Sharjah.”